ANALYSIS: FlyQuest Provide Mid-Table Rivals With A Head Start After Sluggish Week 1

Already blessed with one of the most experienced lineups in the NA LCS, during the split break FlyQuest eSports announced that they would be upgrading the lineup, with the addition of former Team SoloMid AD Carry Jason “WildTurtle” Tran. Despite WildTurtle’s arrival, FlyQuest failed to win a game in the first week as they went 0-4 against Team Dignitas and Echo Fox.

Expectations were understandably high for FlyQuest eSports after their fourth place finish in the 2017 Spring Split of the North American League Championship Series.

The newly promoted side was easily the biggest surprise of the Spring Split who, despite being captained by one of NA’s greatest all-time players in mid laner Hai “Hai” Du Lam, were seen as little more than a team of back-ups destined for a bottom two place in the LCS.

Source: Riot Games Flickr

Analysts did not mince their words when describing their thoughts on FlyQuest’s chances for success:

FlyQuest currently on the table for worst eSports investment of all time. Let's see if they can escape relegation.

Despite their critics, FlyQuest roared into the NA LCS and immediately announced themselves as a playoffs contender. Shooting to the top of the standings in the first few weeks, they used an aggressive playstyle and crisp map rotations to secure victories over their less coordinated competition.

Still, as individual players, multiple team members lagged behind their counterparts in terms of mechanical skill. This became more apparent as the season progressed, while other teams began to improve their team synergy and map play, individual weaknesses became more exposed.

As the season came to a close, FlyQuest began to slide down the standings, salvaging their season by reverse sweeping Counter Logic Gaming in the first round of the playoffs.

Source: Riot Games Flickr

With the start of the new split, FlyQuest are expected to be a contender once again after improving their roster with the arrival of WildTurtle. These expectations may need to be tempered however after a rough first week showed multiple issues still exist within the roster.

Team captain Hai struggled greatly in his first two series back on stage and was thoroughly dominated in both games by Echo Fox mid laner Henrik “Froggen” Hansen.

For FlyQuest to be successful, they should draft lanes that allow Hai to gain advantages and apply pressure to the other lanes since, when he is behind, he is in dramatically inhibited as FlyQuest’s main playmaker.

The Kassadin pick in Game 2 against Echo Fox was a clear example of what not to do, as Froggen’s Lucian pick was able to open up a 50 CS lead at fifteen minutes and Hai was never able to find his feet and become a significant factor in the game. For FlyQuest, better drafting and returning to in-game strategies that unlock Hai should help them regain some of their lost form.

Source: Riot Games Flickr

While FlyQuest and Hai will likely be able to fix many of their issues around mid that were displayed against Echo Fox (Hai had a better series against Team Dignitas, especially Game 2), the more worrying trend may have been the play of oft-criticised top laner An “Balls” Le. In their series against Dignitas, Balls finished the two games against top laner Kim “Ssumday” Chan-ho with a CS deficit of 150 CS and 117 CS respectively.

This is a staggering differential that shows how exploitable Balls can be against the best top laners in NA, an issue that is not easily fixed without replacing Balls entirely (a move that should have been made between splits). With the lowest KDA and kill participation of all top laners after week one, Balls is once again proving a liability that will limit how good FlyQuest can be.

While some of FlyQuest’s issues are easier to fix than others, do not expect them to remain winless for long. Though perhaps no-longer a top team in the NA LCS, they should be able to remain competitive in the region.

CLICKON eSports 2017 NA LCS Summer Split Power Rankings

CLICKON eSports NA LCS Power Rankings

On the heels of Rift Rivals, CLICKON ranks the teams of the NA LCS.

9th: Echo Fox

After a hot start to the split, Echo Fox has cooled off considerably. Although their mid laner Froggen continues to play at an exceptional level, he still has not received consistent enough play from his teammates to push Echo Fox above a bottom tier team. With a new season approaching, expect Echo Fox to make multiple moves in the off-season if they fail to make the playoffs once again.

5th: Immortals

The surprise of the season so far has been the resurgence of Immortals behind their new jungler Xmithie. Maintaining the top spot for most of the season so far, Immortals find themselves coming off their first 0-2 week. Whether this is an anamoly, or a sign of things to come, Immortals have proven they can compete with NA's best.

7th: Team EnVyUs

Team NV could be a dark horse in NA moving forward, with a star jungler and consistent bot lane play that has led to significant improvement from their last place finish in the Spring Split. WIth both Pirean and Nisqy showing they can hold their own in the mid lane, NV should finish the season as a contender for a playoff spot.

10th: Team Liquid

Team Liquid may have hit rock bottom halfway through the second split of the 2017 season. With constant substitutions in their starting lineup, Team Liquid have yet to find the right combination to push them forward. For Team Liquid, it is time to start thinking about next season already.

8th: FlyQuest eSports

The addition of former TSM AD Carry WildTurtle has failed to provide the positive spark that FLyQuest were hoping for, and in response they have fallen quickly from their former perch near the top of the standings. Still a fringe playoff team, FlyQuest remains a dangerous team that can not be ignored on any given week. If Hai and Moon are able to rekindle some of their Spring Split synergy, FlyQuest could make a run to end the year.

5th: Team Dignitas

Team Dignitas may be the biggest wildcard of the upcoming split, a team loaded with potential and talent who had a very tumultuous first split. The addition of subs Shrimp and Big should provide flexibility to a roster that has continued to synergize as the season progressed. If LOD is able to keep up with the other ADCs in NA, Dignitas will be a team to watch out for.

2nd: Counter Logic Gaming

Expectations were high for Counter Logic Gaming entering the split after the arrival of Dardoch, and those expectation have been mostly met as CLG currently sits atop the NA LCS standings. With greatly improved play from top laner Darshan, CLG have become a favorite to capture another NA LCS title. Do not be surprised to find them as one of the two teams playing in the Finals in Boston.

3rd: Phoenix1

Following their third place finish in the Spring Split, do not expect much drop off from Phoenix1 in the upcoming split. NA MVP Arrow should excel in a meta that emphasizes ADCs, and both Ryu and Zig have proven to be more than competent solo laners. The only unknown for Phoenix1 seems to be new support Shady, who was given the starting position despite his poor performances near the end of the last split.

3rd: Cloud9

Coming off a 2-1 series victory over Team SoloMid, Cloud9 had a less than impressive showing at Rift RIvals. With the news that the majority of the team was sick at the event, we will cut C9 a break and still have them as a top three team in NA. If they can find consistency from their two top laners, Cloud9 could challenge for the NA LCS crown once again.

1st: Team SoloMid

Following their dominant showing at Rift Rivals, Team SoloMid should once again be considered the favorites in NA. With string laners and great macro play, TSM have shown significant growth already in the split. The return of Doublelift and the emphasis on improvement has paid dividends for the reigning NA LCS Champions, and could easily lead to another title.